Seeking Advice
by Pied Flycatcher
Summary: Poor Cloud. He's so depressed and torn apart, he decides he needs counselling. Will his advisor help him decide who he really loves? Hints of both CloudxTifa and CloudxAerith.
1. Chapter 1

**(Initially, this was supposed to be a parody of the whole love triangle debate, with Cloud confused more than anyone else. It's become more thoughtful than that, but there's still a touch of humour. Poor Cloud is all depressed and angsty, so he decides he needs some counselling sessions. And who better to give him advice than Squall Leonhart? Please read and review.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Final Fantasy characters. Square-Enix do.)**

* * *

Squall sat with his arms folded, waiting. He really didn't want to do this, but Rinoa had made him volunteer, and he would do anything for Rinoa. She had him well and truly hen-pecked. 

A man with spiky blond hair walked hesitantly through the door.

"Come on then," said Squall in a bored voice. "Sit down and let's get it over with."

The man sat down. An empty desk separated the two of them. "I'm... I'm Cloud," he said quietly. He held out his hand for Squall to shake. Squall ignored it.

"What's the problem?" Squall asked. This was the last time he would ever agree to hold counselling sessions, he thought, as Cloud shifted uncomfortably in front of him. He'd never met so many screwed up people.

"Well, I... see, there's this girl, Aerith, and another girl, Tifa... and I'm sure one of them is supposed to be my one true love, but I don't know which!"

Squall grunted. Girl problems, huh. He could relate to that. "Which one do you care most about?"

Cloud wringed his hands. Pathetic, thought Squall. "I don't know, I care about both of them!"

"Which one do you protect? Which one would you do anything for?"

"I wanted to protect both of them," sighed Cloud. Tears filled his eyes. "But I couldn't. I couldn't protect Aerith. I thought I loved her... well, it was strange, but I only just realised how strongly I felt for her when it happened."

"When what happened?" asked Squall impatiently. "Cut the crap and get to the point."

"When she died."

"She's _dead_? You let the woman you love die?"

"I know," Cloud whimpered. "It's just... it was hard to tell... my feelings were so strong. Was it love, or grief, or guilt? Or all three?"

God, this man was really messed up, thought Squall. "Don't you even know your own mind?"

"No," said Cloud mournfully. "I had a little identity crisis, you see."

Squall rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Now tell me about this other girl."

Cloud brightened up a little. "Tifa... well, she's alive."

Squall snorted. "That's a start."

"I do really care for her," said Cloud. "But if I can't move on, I don't see how I can start a new life with her."

Squall thought of Rinoa, and how he would react if she died. Would he be able to move on to anyone else? But he regarded the man in front of him with disgust. Cloud was wallowing in self-pity.

"All right," he said, trying to inject a note of sympathy into his voice. "I understand how you feel about Aerith. Someone you love dying... I imagine it would really tear your heart out."

Cloud's head drooped. One of his blond spikes poked Squall in the eye. Squall recoiled. That guy should really get a haircut, he thought. He tried to focus back on the issue at hand. He hated listening to other people's problems. It just made him think of what might happen to him and Rinoa. Squall hardened his heart.

"Well, tough luck," he said. "You failed to protect the girl you love. You'd never make a knight, Cloud. You'll just have to get over it the best way you can. Maybe this Tifa can help you."

Cloud's head drooped even further. "Yeah..." he whispered. "Well, thanks... I guess."

"Get out then," said Squall.

Cloud looked up, surprised at the other man's hostility.

"I haven't got all day," said Squall pointedly.

Cloud nodded. "I'll... I'll try someone else."

"The guy in the next room's free," Squall told him. He was glad to see the blond man leave. Cloud had no right to have more angst than him.

**(Yeah, so Squall wasn't that helpful. You didn't really think he would be, did you? Next chapter... Cloud turns to another famous Final Fantasy hero for advice.)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: The FF characters belong to Square Enix.)**

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Cloud knocked timidly on the door of the next room. The dark-haired man with the scar on his face had been cold and stand-offish. Perhaps the next counsellor would be more helpful. 

"Come in," said a male voice.

Cloud entered. He did a double take when he saw that the young man who was standing up to greet him had a _tail_. A brown monkey tail. The boy's grinning face looked like a monkey too.

"Hello, I'm... Cloud."

"Cloud!" Monkey-boy hugged him as though they were the best of friends. Cloud stood limply, momentarily stunned. "Good to see you!"

"Have we met?" asked Cloud as the man let go of him, wondering if his fractured memories had failed him again.

Monkey-boy winked. "No, I just want to be friendly, that's all. I'm Zidane. Wanna sit down?"

"Sure," said Cloud, a little bemused. This room was exactly the same as the other, yet somehow the atmosphere seemed warmer and more inviting. He told himself to ignore the monkey tail, yet he couldn't help his eyes lingering on the tail swinging while Zidane lounged back in his chair.

"So, what's the problem?" Zidane asked.

Cloud told him about Aerith and Tifa. Zidane listened without comment, occasionally pausing to scratch his behind.

"...so I don't know which one is supposed to be my one true love," Cloud finished.

"That's rough," said Zidane sympathetically. "I wouldn't want to lose any of my friends. They're all precious to me."

Cloud nodded. "I feel like it was my fault too."

"So how long have you been mourning this dead chick?"

"About two years."

Zidane gasped. "You've been depressed for _two years_? Geez, I got depressed once but I got over it in about five minutes, why can't you?"

Cloud gave him a tortured look.

"What about this Tifa chick? Is she hot?"

He nodded bashfully.

"Come on." Zidane leaned forward. "You can tell me."

"Her hair is very long and beautiful... and, uh, she has kind eyes... and..." Cloud's face was slowly getting redder and redder.

"Go on," Zidane urged him.

"... and, well, she is quite, um, she has..." Cloud couldn't finish the sentence.

"...really big feet?" said Zidane jokingly. He grinned and winked at Cloud. "She sounds great, Cloud. She's cute, and she's alive. What's there to think about? Forget about the dead chick."

Cloud nodded. His blue eyes looked pensive. "Yes, I think I need to move on."

"Exactly! Lighten up! You only live once. You've got your whole life ahead of you and you've got a beautiful girl to spend it with." Zidane's eyes sparkled. "And then..."

"I can meet her again," murmured Cloud.

"Yeah, but she'd want you to be happy, right?"

"And I want Tifa to be happy too." Cloud frowned. "Would she be happy... with me?"

Zidane rolled his eyes. "You really are dense, Cloud. Tifa's living with you, isn't she? And you're bringing up children together? Isn't it obvious? You need to know what you want. And you need to go for it."

"I should spend more time with her," Cloud agreed.

Zidane suddenly noticed the clock behind Cloud. His tail waved. "Whoa, look at the time! Gotta go, Cloud! I've gotta go get my Dagger! See ya!"

And he bounced out of his chair and left the room like a leaping monkey, leaving Cloud staring after him, utterly bemused.

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**(A/N: Yup, everyone's favourite monkey boy just put the LTD to rest in his own unique style. I don't know why some people don't like Zidane. He's great, and certainly more understanding than Squall. Cloud, being Cloud, is still as confused as ever, but that's why we love the guy, right?)**


End file.
